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Rate & Review "No Loan Again, Naturally" (LABF03)

After too many years of financing Homer's annual Mardi Gras party on home equity loans, Homer and Marge's adjustable-rate mortgage skyrockets and they are forced to put their house up for sale. Flanders does a good deed by outbidding Mr. Burns and purchasing the property, thus becoming Homer and Marge's new landlord. But when Homer publicly accuses Flanders of neglecting the Simpsons' unsafe living conditions, Flanders threatens to throw the family out on the streets in the all-new "No Loan Again, Naturally" episode of THE SIMPSONS airing Sunday, March 8 (8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (SI-2003) (TV-PG L, V)

I'm really starting to hate this 4 act format. Why? The intro/couch gag seem to be the only things worth sitting through because the show's remainder segments seem as long as the commercial breaks.

Anyway, the episode seemed like it spent the longest time lingering on the segments that should've been cut shorter. IMO, I would have liked to witness the Simpsons living in the homeless shelter for a longer period and have Ned kick out their replacments because they were worse than the Simpsons.

Otherwise, this just seemed like a sloppy mish-mash. (Also, "The Evil Ned" is the name of an episode idea I came up with.)

2/5, a solid "Meh"

Well, ya'know if you stay positive and forget about trivial things like "proper characterization," "Satire," and "emotional depth" watching new Simpsons episodes can be a seemingly enjoyable lie.

Solid ep.
That makes 3 in a row that iv enjoyed.
Don't like how the sounds during the couch gag are changing, i like the billboard gag, but otherwise its just excessive.
Not much too say, can't say anything during the episode really bothered me. I enjoyed the christian couple, and the mayor scene.
Solid 4.5/5.

I thought the first act was strong, as was most of the second act, and I started to get excited about being way into two episodes in a row. But then the story started to lose me, before it managed to recover and end on a high note again.

The first act break was my favorite in a really long time. As Homer ran back into the house to get rid of the "gift", I was already setting myself up for a really crass punchline. But it turned out to be a really great moment, and perhaps the most heartfelt in years.

All in all, I was satisfied.

This isn't the start of a new "Golden Age", and I don't want to go too far with my enthusiasm. It should go without saying, but let me make my opinion clear: Compared to what it once was, the show still has more problems than could ever possibly be solved, and I'm still among those that want the show to be put out of its misery sooner than later.

But the thing is, I've seen just how low this show can go. It's been absolutely stagnant for years and years now. But - dare I say it - recently, it's been going back up again, slowly but surely. The last three episodes especially have had interesting stories, some genuinely funny moments and pretty great characterizations. I'm genuinely looking forward to the next episode, a feeling I've had the pleasure of feeling two weeks in a row now.

I'm kind of afraid that I'm going to turn into one of those delusional fans who has continuously lowered their standards just to convince themself the show is as good as ever. Truly, I'm not used to this whole "enjoying the episode" feeling, again. But what the hell, 3.5/5, rounded up to 4.

Another excellent episode! This now beats Sex, Pies, and Idiot Scrapes as my second favorite episode of the season. This episode had a solid plot with limited filler. Nothing about this episode felt rushed (IMO). Also, while some of the gags were wacky, they worked. I don't have any real complaints, other than the fact that it's not one of the best. Overall: 5/5

Edit: I'm starting to dislike the 4-act format, but since this is the new format, I need to look past it.

Rad!

I didn't think this weeks was as good as last weeks but still fitting to this seasons quality. (which is high)

The first act seemed to clearly be the weakest, as I thought the episode got better as it progressed. Some great jokes throughout, including the Bart paintings, feeding grandpa people food, the lawsuit conversation with the perfect neighbors, and the "I left a present upstairs" joke. Funny, and touching.

Lighten up, Jake. I've been watching you crap on the show for years. Granted, the show's deserved A LOT of it, but it's been showing signs of recovery with the occasional lapse. The truly horrible episodes are no longer the rule; they are the exception.

I know this show inside and out... was there for the original Christmas episode and have never missed an original airing (somtimes aided by the VCR).

Your fan-fiction would probably be met with the same vile you feel obligated to spew towards the current writing staff. They are trying. Reward their efforts.

Once again, I’m not too sure how to feel about this one… It felt more…

I mean, I was enjoying myself for the most part, but it felt kind of, just, wrong. Like, there were some honest, good attempts at emotion spread throughout the whole episode, the problem was that they were just so few and fleeting and couldn’t really come together properly and find their place well enough, so that the ones later down the episode didn’t feel as moving as they could have been.

Like, I would have liked to see the Simpsons homeless for a much longer period of time than they were, because that was just… underwhelming. The Simpsons homeless is a completely new and, really, interesting dynamic that wasn’t utilized at all. We got what… one small, little scene? Because all those other times it was just dangled in front of us but nothing ever really resulted from it due to Ned’s kindness. And when you look back at it, their home really is a large, important part of them, and something Homer and Marge struggled to get when they found out they were going to have a larger family… and this was all conveyed so well in the first act. I especially liked Homer’s gift for the next person who would love the house. It was funny, but it was also sweet and heartfelt and in place.

Cut out a lot of that useless Mardi Gras stuff and give us some more scenes of the Simpsons trying to adapt to life in a homeless shelter. And maybe – just maybe – don’t turn from… The way it was handled, with Flanders, was rough and poorly done and just over-the-top and didn’t fit in with the tone of the first act after the Mardi Gras stuff at all. Prime example would be Marge – she felt wildly out of character for me. I mean, I felt her less likable than Homer (it’s kind of like that line from one episode a little earlier on, where Homer says Marge is worse for doing the same as him because she’s usually so much better). Since when does Marge hand all of the work off to Flanders, not even offer him any leeway or gift of gratitude, and then whine when he evicts her for being an ungrateful bitch? It was just awful and while I’d expect something like that from Homer (followed up with Marge to balance him out and chastise him), with Marge there was just no sympathy (really the only sympathies I had were for the kids, because it wasn’t their fault).

I mean, they had a great feeling of togetherness as evidenced in the photograph that moved Ned in the end – and I’d understand why it moved Ned so much if all of that other shit hadn’t happened in between. Marge didn’t even try to help out with Ned (what the hell does she do around the house all day, anyway, then?), or actually offer him any of that cake or anything. I mean, I’m ignoring the fact that Flanders has enough money lying around to buy an entire house out of the goodness of his heart (seriously, Ned was really, really in top-form in this episode. It’s just a shame he seemed to be the only one), which isn’t a problem in the bigger scale.

Just, you know, if we got some scenes with the Simpsons actually suffering in their homelessness (which I agree, for story’s sake, they should have ended up there eventually, just, did they have to be so cruel and unlikable on the journey there? It ruined the emotion they had earlier on and at the end), and if it had just… played out better. I mean there were some good jokes within there, like that scene in the episode description people were worrying about? With Homer attempting suicide? Actually had great timing and was funny.

Kind of weak and disappointing when it was so brimming with potential. Maybe I’m focusing too much on the negative qualities (I just got off of watching King of the Hill, which was GREAT), but there really was no reason to feel sorry for the Simpson family and I couldn’t buy Ned’s reasoning at the end, even with Ned being Ned. … Eh. It wasn’t terrible. Just… eh.

And the four-act format sucks and completely cheapens the ends of the episodes as well, just saying. The pacing is interrupted and it ruins.

I thought it was a good episode--probably my favorite of the season. Ned and Homer's relationship is one of my favorites in the show; at its best, it's equal parts sweet and funny (When Flanders Failed, Home Away From Homer). I'm glad to see that this episode followed in that sort of solid characterization, with Homer begrudgingly inviting Ned to the party, celebrating his act of kindness (with a funny banner--although it's a little similar to the note he left Ned in HAFH), then blowing things out-of-proportion as he tends to do. Ned was likable, funny, and endearing throughout, behaving realistically rather than ridiculously. He felt a lot more like the kind Christian neighbor of the past than in some recent extremist portrayals of him. And Bart was in surprisingly fine form--from the return of his "Ullman" face with the paintings to the lame Hulk shirts he donated in the past, nearly every line from him was solid.

My only real problems with the show came from the story: like EVERY FOUR-ACT EPISODE AIRED SO FAR, it felt a little meandering. I really think this is a terrible decision, because it has negatively affected the pacing of every episode so far, in my opinion. On tonight's show specifically, I thought OFF taking advantage of Ned and overreacting was too predictable and simplistic, and a little frustrating to watch for a bit. Finally, the ending where Ned invites OFF back was a bit too much of a deus ex machina, though a sweet one besides.

Good humor all-around pretty much made the episode work. The gags were well-timed (a rarity in this era)--funny scenes like Homer recounting the past events and Ned watching the channel blocker could've easily been stretched out past their limit, but they were both cut at just the right time. The badminton joke, Barney coming through the fence, and a surprising amount of one-liners were really good. The Mardi Gras/Ash Wednesday/Lent references were a lot better-timed than last week's September-based ep. And two great moments stick out for me--the act break with Homer getting the "little surprise" (a rare screw-the-audience joke that ends up being a little touching, showing Homer's vulnerability), and the final line of Homer saying "I hate this neighborhood" (a little sitcom-y, but quite funny and puts the whole scenario in perspective).

I always like scenes of the family just hanging around the house interacting with each other in fun ways, and that's largely what this show was about. And it's always a pleasure to see Ned take a major role.

4/5 B+

Originally Posted by Jake

EDIT: While not in a danger of losing my house, I think/hope this episode rubs a raw nerve with those going through a forclosure and Jean gets some flack for it.

Granted, the show's deserved A LOT of it, but it's been showing signs of recovery with the occasional lapse. The truly horrible episodes are no longer the rule; they are the exception.

WTF are you on? Sure it's not the Scully nutjob show, but that doesn't make the Blandtoma it's become acceptable for many but some people just don't care (unless the episode is REALLY shit terrible).

I know this show inside and out... was there for the original Christmas episode and have never missed an original airing (somtimes aided by the VCR).

I don't care how many lines of funny quotes you can remember with the 'help of you VCR', I only care about a show that treats the characters with respect and treats the audience with the same level of respect. Al, whether he knowingly feels it, or not is treating the characters in the manner of: "Let's put (character x) in a funny situation, fans like (character x) so no matter how bizzarre the situation, they'll somehow find it funny."

BTW, I've been watching the Simpsons since April 1987.

Your fan-fiction would probably be met with the same vile you feel obligated to spew towards the current writing staff.

If it was allowed, I'd post my fan fiction in the Episode discussion where 200 times the NHC staff would see it, could R&R it, and vote on it, I would love that chance.

A solid 3/5 for me. The plot was fine and there were some really good jokes, but was also sprinkled with average ones. One thing I definitely thought was wrong was the scene where Homer attempted suicide right in front of his children. It wasn't funny, but wasn't treated in any reasonable dramatic way, so it was pointless. It definitely goes does down as the worst dark "humor" scene in the history of the show, but since it wasn't the focus of the episode, I can pretty much just forget it ever happened. Other than that and some average jokes, there were enough positive aspects of the episode to keep me interested.

Yeah, I didn't like Homer's suicide attempt either. Although the car-crushing joke wasn't bad, the idea of Homer stepping off the chair after saying goodbye to his kids is just way too much. That said, I don't think it was the worst "dark humor" gag in the series at all. That'd probably have to go for the slow burn of the cancer joke in Homer the Moe. Tonight's was more of something you'd see on South Park--too sadistic, but quick and kind of funny.

[QUOTE=lionelhutz123;2182935] One thing I definitely thought was wrong was the scene where Homer attempted suicide right in front of his children.[QUOTE]
Really? I thought it was just a quick gag to show the contrast of Marge to Homer in the loss of their house. I thought it was just one of those gags that aren't really taken that seriously.

I wasn't bothered by that gag at all and actually felt it rather funny, 'cause I had WBadger's interpretation of it. Not something to focus on, not something to take seriously, and it;s not like Bart and Lisa were given a lot of time to react (it did seem a little much that Homer would slip a noose over his neck in front of his kids, but it's like that Marge/Lindsey kiss last episode - one small part of the episode not meant to take seriously at all). I didn't see the problem. Like TriforceBun said, it was fast. The timing was good. No real damage was done.

i loved this episode. really did. from start to finish. two things i really liked: great flanders characterization and some generally touching moments. the couch gag was stupid, though.

the episode began pretty quickly, some of the mardi gras gags weren't bad. i liked the barney/fence joke. the homer pain joke with the wires could have been cut. marge seemed great throughout most of the first act, especially the eviction part. homer was pretty decent as well throughout the ep (i loved the joke "bart! turn the turkey!" or whatever that was). burns wasn't bad in the few seconds he was in. crazy cat lady was unneeded but wasnt terrible. homer suicide joke was really odd, but the car crushing joke actually made me chuckle. flanders starts off fantastic. and i loved the act I break with the flowers.

act II was well-done as well. flanders came off as old flanders, in which, even though the simpsons take advantage of his hospitality, he still loves them. the homer jesus joke had me laughing by the end. i do wish to see the simpsons homeless for a longer period, it would make for a really interesting ep. the 'feces' joke was quick and unneeded, as was lisa pointing out the reference - i absolutely hate when they do that. quick though, so it wasn't too bad.

moe's "fix your pipes" line had me in stiches. marge's crying at the new eviction was forced and really didn't have a place in the episode, possibly because it already HAD BEEN DONE... flanders had some good lines throughout the episode, as did the christian couple ("hasn't this been a preach of abreach?"). the whole "we don't borrow pens" was stupid. the flanders teardrop was realyl sincere, and that made the episode feel really human for me. flanders really came off as great in this episode, as i had hoped. nice voice acting on homer and flanders as well. marge sounded off though.

overall, 5/5. displaces "mypods" and "drama queen" as my favorite for the season, which is saying alot, considering i hated last season...this season really hasn't been bad.

(it did seem a little much that Homer would slip a noose over his neck in front of his kids, but it's like that Marge/Lindsey kiss last episode - one small part of the episode not meant to take seriously at all)

difference is that marge/lindsay kiss was result of homer's imagination gone nowhere (maybe for comic relief on what has happened following up to it) and the suicide thing was... well, real and it's dealing with death. i know the children had little or not much time to stop it but really, like jake, i'd expect them to freak out just a bit. the timing and the consequence of it was good, but rest not so much

difference is that marge/lindsay kiss was result of homer's imagination gone nowhere (maybe for comic relief on what has happened following up to it) and the suicide thing was... well, real and it's dealing with death. i know the children had little or not much time to stop it but really, like jake, i'd expect them to freak out just a bit. the timing and the consequence of it was good, but rest not so much

I'll concede the imagination point but thing is, it was completely throwaway, and this is from a show that's had at least three episodes where Homer has seriously tried to kill himself for real-for real as an actual state of progression through the story. The quick (and this is a key part to it, had it dragged out like a lot of throwaways have in past episodes, it would have been terrible) suicide gag really didn't feel all that serious in light of that. It was just a simple gag.

hmm... this one is kind of difficult to grade. not too good, not too bad, maybe just decent; a type of episode that is good for one viewing and you'd forget a lot about it in a year or so, something like, eh, 'the wife aquatic' imo if you will

for the humor... well, it felt bland until the kent brockman thing. first act had few pieces on mardi gras but it just felt like things happening during the course of plot except for bart's portrait gag during the photo taking scene, which was nice and was a reminiscent of that tracy ullman joke. and yeah, i thought it went much funnier with 'the evil ned' scene with kent brockman and the tone of the episode heightened along with it. and i did not like the suicide gag at all, it did have some slapstick on it, but seeing homer trying to kill himself in front of the children (and they just watch it by?) doesn't... eh, suit me. i have a feeling that some people did laugh at it due to the consequence though. you know the story with suicide gag, quick gag but was very questionable. overall, the humor was bland with several gags scattered throughout... or is it just that i'm bit spoiled due to the funny (and questionable) humor of last week's episode. i might have to watch it again to judge it thoroughly though, that's usually when i understand more things clearly

for plot/characterization... well, it was a bit formulaic and i actually guessed that the picture will be used in some point in the later of the episode... ergo, the plot was bit simplistic, nothing to radical or even diverse-toned, i'd have liked to see subplot featuring some secondary characters (ala the one in lisa the simpson) in episode like this. let me say that... i don't know what to make out of homer's character here, i'm a bit unclear on this, i would imagine that marge would stop homer vehemently on his actions against ned since she does know ned worked hard for the family and it is very impolite for homer to do such thing (and i'd imagine that he was gone for most of the times when ned was toiling but wouldn't marge have raved to homer about it... that's just me) a lot of questionable stuff there, could've been better, but i think they turned head of the episode in such way that would get ned angry and kick the family out of the house. i actually liked the usage of grampa in this episode btw, yeah call me cruel, but he provided some funny moments. the ending with flanders reminiscing of the past with the photo... was rather sweet and the emotion was there, not forced or cringeworthy as the one in the crossword episode.

some thought on flanders' characterization, i think, like in the beginning of 'dead putting society', flanders did have some reason to be angry at homer. i can't judge whether flanders putting grampa on his side to kick the family out was overly done for his character or not (after all, in the s2 episode, flanders did turn his noose very loose and sent the apology letter to the family), but the rest of his character felt okay to solid, not saying it was overall good though...

i would've liked to see more jokes, or at least moments involved in that homeless place, felt that there were tons of potential that could've been put into jokes department and linger the plot a bit (i mean, i really liked the crazy guy gag, but if you think about a minute, there are a lot of things to be explored in sevearl possible comic aspects of place like that imo). and... i agree with majority, the four-act format is getting old for me now (and how many episodes have we seen with it?) since, for us watching the episode live with advertisements interrupting the stuff, feels that the tone of the ending is kinda... degraded because the episode, with the tone climbing up to climax level, gets stopped and getting back that 'mood' after watching those advertisements (or flipping channels around, i watched usa vs. venezuela on espn) feels as if several of the tension built has combusted to the air.

overall... i guess a bit average, nothing too radical or memorable or anything but decent; maybe C+??? i'll have to re-watch to decide more clearly. it's better than the other homer-flanders episode for sure imo ('sex, pies and idiot scrapes' gets C-/C)